Henry Yanez

05/27/2026

Just to be clear, I missed their call while I was traveling but I did contact the reporter later and offered my thoughts. I welcomed Channel 7 to contact me again if they wanted to do a follow up report.

A former Spirit Halloween store on Van D**e Avenue in Sterling Heights is being transformed into a $10 million indoor Athletic Hub dedicated to pickleball and table tennis.

04/16/2026

Last week the City Manager got his raise, $275k/year plus benefits, this week city council solidified their legislative budget increase of $26,300 for travel, food and lodging. Even though the Finance Director was clear that we normally don’t spend all the money she budgets for travel and expenses, it was still increased. I did make a motion to remove it, seconded by Councilman Mijac but the motion failed.

Effective July 1, the City Managers pay increase takes effect as well as City Councils previously approved pay raise.

04/12/2026

Just some thoughts on our last City Council meeting and the City Managers’ raise: Part 1.

1. As I mulled over the discussion, one thought kept popping up over and over, that $250k/year is “lousy” pay…lousy.

2. Why are city employees giving council partial information? Telling council that employees got a 10% but failed to offer, and had to be asked, what the pay increase is in the following year for the rest of the contract? And who told them not to provide that information, (i.e.be transparent), regarding all this financial information? Who?

3. Why wasn’t council given a cost for the complete compensation package? It seems the finance director was prepared to answer that question but didn’t offer information until asked.

4. Why was my request from the HR Director for a copy of the Executive Group contract ignored and who told her to ignore it? (Side note, contracts are public documents and no one needs the permission from the City Managers to get a copy. That’s called “transparency”.)

5. City Council can’t go into closed session and discuss this contract? I still have to get a ruling from the City Attorney for that one. Stay tuned.

The disconnect bubble for Sterling Heights City Council is as thick and dense as the bubbles our legislators in Lansing and Washington work in. Yes, we, as legislators, may have more information available to us than the general public but we don’t “know more” than the people we represent.
I could go on but frankly this is already too much for a social media post so I’ll finish with this.
1. Sterling Heights government needs to be much, much better at transparency with its citizens.
And 2. Make no mistake, the timing on this vote was calculated. The next city council election is not until 2029, three more years. The City Manager and his supporters on council are betting that you, the taxpayers and voters, will have gone through too many “best in class” Sterling Heights events and you’ll have forgotten all about this. But that’s not the real calculation, that’s just a variable of the calculation and variables can change…and video never dies.

Part 2. Ethics and Transparency coming soon…

04/05/2026

At the April 7th City Council meeting, a pay and benefit raise is on the agenda (Pg. 623 of the agenda packet) for the City Manager. The salary increase is from $249,480/yr to $290,000/yr. The new contract will take effect on July 1, 2026. The total package is worth an estimated $400,000 give or take a few percent.

If you’ve never attended a city council meeting or it’s been a while, this would be a good one to attend. Whether you’re for or against this pay increase, come and voice your opinion.

https://publicdocs.sterling-heights.net/OnBaseAgendaOnline/Documents/DownloadFileBytes/City_Council_Regular_Meeting_429_Agenda_Packet_4_7_2026_7_00_00_PM.pdf?documentType=5&meetingId=429&isAttachment=True

03/22/2026

Hi All. It might be tax season but here in Sterling Heights it’s also budget season. So…while I normally try to hold these meetings on the second Tuesday of the month, City Council has a special budget presentation that evening so we’re meeting Wednesday,April 15. And yes, that’s Tax Day!

Bring your budget books, get out your erasers and sharpen your pencil’s! Let’s talk taxing, spending and all things Sterling Heights. I want to hear what you have to say!

02/14/2026

Just because you wear a badge and carry a gun for a living doesn’t mean you’re not human. What a great story about the kindness and generosity of our Sterling Heights police officers and our community coming to th help of this family in need.

A routine traffic stop in Sterling Heights turned into an extraordinary display of community support for a family whose child is battling spinal cancer.

02/14/2026

I’d appreciate your thoughts about this article. Business as usual? Disturbing? Is it time for real government reform?

Let me know what you think…

Lawmakers and other officials received close to $500,000 in lobbyist-paid food and drink in 2025. Much of the spending isn’t currently visible to the public.

01/12/2026

Hey! The holidays are over and a new year has started so let’s get back into Coffee and Conversations about what’s going on in our city. A lot is on the calendar. Strategic Planning, development, and budget, budget, budget or should I say spending, spending, spending…

A slight change this month. Were meeting after the second meeting of the month, Wednesday the 21st. We’ll be back to regular schedule in February.

So stop on by, meet your neighbors and let’s talk!

01/04/2026

Everyone is welcomed to attend this special City Council Strategic Planning Session. This is your chance to discuss the how our city moves forward in 2026. I hope to see you there.

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas everyone!